Box Score

LEWISBURG, Pa. – Facing off against a Bucknell squad which had won 14-of-15 Patriot League contests on the season, Lafayette battled throughout and was within four points at halftime. The Bison, though, used a 25-11 edge in the third quarter to pull away for a 69-55 at Sojka Pavilion on Wednesday evening.

Jamie O'Hare netted 17 points, hitting 3-of-6 attempts from long distance, and Angela Ribarich (15 points) finished two points shy of her career-high in a strong 19 minutes off the bench for the Leopards.

Jacquie Klotz had 24 points and 10 rebounds to lead Bucknell (21-6, 15-1 PL), which shot 54.0 percent from the field to overcome a 28-turnover performance. Kaitlyn Slagus (12 points) and Claire DeBoer (10 points) also reached double figures for the Bison.

Bucknell had a 19-12 lead at the end of a strange first quarter in which Lafayette had eight offensive rebounds but none on the defensive end. Maia Hood had seven points and four boards in the frame, and the Leopards forced seven turnovers to stay within striking distance. O'Hare's lone basket of the quarter upped her career points total to 1,157 and moved her past Beth Mowins '89 for 12th place on the program's all-time scoring list.

The Bison, who shot 56.0 percent from the floor in the first half (14-of-25) and 54.5 percent from 3-points range (6-of-11) extended their lead to 27-14 with 7:37 remaining in the second quarter. The Maroon and White, though, rattled off eight-unanswered, fueled by a pair of long balls from O'Hare, to get back within five.

A Sammy Stipa 3-pointer had the lead down to 32-31 in the final minute, and Bucknell would ultimately take a slim 35-31 edge into the intermission. The Bison were up to 13 turnovers by the end of the half, and O'Hare and Ribarich registered 16 of Lafayette's 19 points in the quarter to help cut into the deficit.

Bucknell set the tone for the third quarter with five quick points in the opening minute. The margin was back up to double-digits after a DeBoer layup with 5:12 left in the frame, and the Bison used an 8-0 run over the last two minutes to increase the lead to 60-42 heading into the fourth.

The Leopards did not give in, outscoring the home team 13-9 over the final 10 minutes, but they did not have enough time to make a comeback attempt down the stretch.

Bucknell ended the night with a 40-27 advantage on the boards, including a 25-8 disparity on the defensive end.

Alex Cantwell, who registered four steals in back-to-back games last week, swiped a career-high five tonight. Lafayette finished the contest with 15 thefts overall, its highest total in a game since Nov. 29 against Saint Peter's (16).

The Leopards (6-20, 4-12 PL) have their final road game of the regular season on Saturday, as they travel to Colgate for a 4 p.m. matchup.

Notes:

With American's 65-52 loss to Navy tonight, Lafayette remains in seventh place in the Patriot League standings with two games left before the conference tournament.

Harriet Ottewill-Soulsby returned to the lineup after three-game injury absence. She finished with six points and four rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench.

Ribarich reached double figures for the fourth time this season. Her career-high was a 17-point performance against Loyola on Jan. 30.